Win! “Bhagavad Gita As It Is” at Ojai Days October 15!
Look for the huge red and yellow canopy right next to the colorful street mandala. (Between the post office and the once-was theater.) That is where you will find a wealth of resources made available to the community by the American Vedic Association! One of the unique things we invite everyone to do this year is come by our booth and take the “Spiritual IQ Test.” It is a collection of 10 simple multiple choice questions that I believe most spiritual seekers would have given some thought to. For example, Ojai is often referred to as a “Spiritual” community, but how do we define what being spiritual means? Unless we all have a clear and agreed upon understanding about what the difference is between spiritual and material some people may confuse a vegan community with sentimental meditators and no real concept of God to be a spiritual community.
The “Spiritual IQ Test.” consists of ten simple questions that reflect the conclusions taught in the ancient Vedic literature about pivotal issues such as enlightenment, liberation, prayer, and the nature of the soul. No… this is NOT a test where there are “No Wrong Answers”. But the good news is that even if you miss a few of the questions you can still win. It’s your willingness to participate that we are happy to reward!
Ojai Days October 15!
The American Vedic Association will have a bold and prominent presence at the annual Ojai Days festival this upcoming October 15. We have one of the most colorful, informative, and interesting booths at the entire festival. Please come out to meet us and pursue the wide array of transcendental products we offer. We provide the most authentic books available on the topmost of Vedic sciences. The unadulterated Vedas provide the cream of the cream on all yoga systems, including astanga/meditation, ayurveda/health guidelines jnana/knowledge, and the ultimate conclusion of Achintya bedabeda tattva siddhanta! (Simultaneously One-and- Different Philosophy!) We hope to see you there!
Lord Rama’s Victory over Ravana*
*Ramachandra Vijayotsava- The day Lord Ramachandra killed the multi-headed demon Ravana. This is the original story about how true, saintly, goodness vanquished the embodiment of evil!
At this moment our nation is being torn apart by a vicious political season that nearly everyone feels is a clear reflection of how pathetically dysfunctional our system of government has become. With the exception of some radical countries there is still a large portion of the world who still looks towards America for protection, economic stability and leadership. Yet the behavior of the two major candidates who are competing for what could be argued as the most powerful job in the world is inexcusably horrific. We are no longer voting for a person we can look up to and trust. A severely disproportionate part of the voting population have made it clear that they feel trapped into casting their vote for the lesser of two evils. Now just how inspiring could that be? There is no mystery why the rate of depression, suicide, and mental health continues to rise to epidemic proportions.
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All of these things are symptoms of a very aggressively degenerating Kali yuga where hardly anyone can be trusted, nearly everyone is cheating, and people are ready to kill each other over some of the most trivial issues. What is astonishing is that all of this was predicted thousands of years ago as is evident in these few verses found in the Srimad Bhagavat Purana:
“As the earth thus becomes crowded with a corrupt population, whoever among any of the social classes shows himself to be the strongest will gain political power.7 Losing their wives and properties to such avaricious and merciless rulers, who will behave no better than ordinary thieves, the citizens will flee to the mountains and forests.8 Harassed by famine and excessive taxes, people will resort to eating leaves, roots, flesh, wild honey, fruits, flowers and seeds. Struck by drought, they will become completely ruined.9 The citizens will suffer greatly from cold, wind, heat, rain and snow. They will be further tormented by quarrels, hunger, thirst, disease and severe anxiety.10 -Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 12, “Age of Deterioration”, Chapter 2”The Symptoms of Kali Yuga”, Text 7-10.
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) has always been received by the educated world as India’s most cherished sacred literature. But the 700 verses it consists of are actually extracted from India’s most highly respected epic history known as the “Mahabharata.” Yet there is still a third text which is considered equally paramount in regards to how it has influenced every aspect of Indian culture and renown metaphysical insights. That scripture is called: “The Ramayana” and it is the endearing tale of Lord Rama and his consort Sita.
Just like the Mahabharata, the real value of the Ramayana is found in the moral and ethical lessons that weave their way all thru the story line. One of the most instructional themes expressed in the Ramayana is the Vedic paradigm for the most ideal government. Unlike the politicians of our day, Lord Rama set the perfect example for the rest of society exactly the way the Gita says it is the duty for any leader to do:
“Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.” – Bhagavad Gita As It Is Chapter 3, Karma Yoga 21.
At the next AVA gathering we will discuss the qualities of Lord Ramachandra, how vigilant he was in protecting, providing for, and representing the interests of his constituents. He was the ideal philosopher, saintly king and the Ramayana offers us an alternative to the ridiculous political nonsense that will eventually lead to the total collapse of the American “Dream.”